Posts Tagged ‘Cruising’

Luxury river expedition company, Pandaw has announced a new 10-night Halong Bay and the Red River sailing. The itinerary will commence in July 2015 and is open for bookings now. The sailing will offer Pandaw guests the chance to explore the beautiful limestone islands in the iconic Halong Bay, before travelling to the remote upper Red River. Pandaw is the first river expedition operator to do so.

Pandaw press release says: “The new Halong Bay and the Red River itinerary provides agents with a luxury expedition product like no other. Customers looking for that once in a lifetime experience without compromising on luxury will, for the first time, be able to visit the iconic Halong Bay as well as the remote upper Red River in one 10-day itinerary.” Pandaw’s newest sailing includes two days of sightseeing in the bustling city of Hanoi before entering the Red River with its emerald green rice paddies and 8th and 11th century Buddhist temples. Unexplored by any other river expedition company, Pandaw’s route into the upper Red River will visit the region close to China’s Yunnan Province where the river narrows. Hiking from a remote river village is on offer for guests keen to make the most of this unique off-the-beaten-track experience.

Pandaw guests will enjoy a ‘yacht-like’ feel onboard the 16-suite Angkor Pandaw as well as five-star luxury service and a crew to passenger ratio of 2:1. All excursions are included in this unique itinerary. Guests will also visit floating villages, a floating school and limestone caves in Halong Bay before entering the Kinh Thay River, mooring at Yen Duc Village surrounded by historic mountains. On the Duong River, the Angkor Pandaw will visit local villages known for their 11th century folk painting and traditional ceramic production.

Today there are some exceptional vessels plying the waters of the unique world heritage site that is Halong Bay, but it can be difficult to keep up with the various new boats with so many launches each year. The Hanuman team looks at the leading cruise operators and the best of their boats.

Bhaya Classic in Halong Bay

Hanuman prefers to promote 3-day, 2-night stays on the bay and many of the leading luxury cruises now offer this option. This is a great way to get off the cruise tourist trail and explore some beautiful and less-visited areas within this vast world heritage site. Some cruises now venture into beautiful Bai Tu Long Bay, every bit the equal of Halong Bay, only without all the other boats. And some boats are now heading southeast to Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island, another stunning area of karsts with some sandy bays. While the majority of people still opt for 2-day, 1-night cruises, the drawback is that most of the cruise companies follow the same itineraries to the same places at the same time. This can really ruin the atmosphere of such a magical place and ensures you are queuing to climb Titop Mountain or to explore Hang Sung Sot during busy times of year.

Au Co Cruise

Part of the Bhaya Cruise family, the Au Co Cruise, launched in April 2012, is a modern cruise boat that plies the waters of Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, near Cat Ba Island. Larger than the average boat around Halong Bay, this allows for a greater sense of space. The deluxe cabins are all 20 sq metres and the suites offer a generous 40 sq m. We have yet to experience the luxury of this new boat, but we are drawn to the idea of 3-day, 2-night cruises on the water to avoid the crowds and see more of the outstanding beauty of this incredible area. The chance to include less-visited Lan Ha Bay and the stunning karst formations of Bai Tu Long Bay fits perfectly with the Hanuman philosophy of avoiding the crowds and spending more time in such a signature spot.

The newest luxury boat on the bay, the Au Co Cruise

Bhaya Cruise

Launched in 2007, Bhaya Cruise has quickly established a name for itself as a pioneer in luxury vessels. Hanuman Travel chartered the original Bhaya Classic for the Top Gear Vietnam Special, filmed in October 2008, so we have long been familiar with the stylish service on these boats. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May had an enjoyable night onboard. There are four Bhaya Classic boats offering 15 or 20 cabin configurations and these work well for groups. The Bhaya Legend range includes smaller vessels for a more intimate and tailor-made exploration of Halong Bay or nearby Bai Tu Long Bay. There are four boats with a range of cabins from one to four. These are perfect for honeymoons, family groups or close friends.

Cruise Halong

The Halong Ginger was the one of the first of the more luxurious junks to explore the bay. It has since been joined by sister boats the Halong Jasmine and the Halong Violet. All are attractive vessels offering distinctive configurations. The original Ginger has 10 cabins, the Jasmine is the largest boat with 24 cabins and the more intimate Violet has just 6 cabins. The Hanuman team would recommend the Jasmine for larger groups or events and the Violet for smaller groups seeking a higher level of comfort, as the majority of cabins are suites. No longer the smartest cruises on the water, they still offer a very impressive product. 3-day, 2-night cruises are available for those seeking to escape the crowds.

Halong Jasmine amid the karsts

Emeraude Classic Cruise

The first and only replica paddle steamer to cruise the waters of Halong Bay, Emeraude Classic Cruise remains a popular choice for European tourists. The impressive vessel includes 34 superior and deluxe cabins, plus three signature suites. In keeping with the large boat, there is lots of deck space for passengers where activities such as Tai Chi are offered. The main drawback to the Emeraude experience is the size of the superior and deluxe cabins, which are fairly small and standard when compared with some of the newer luxury junks cruising the bay.

Indochina Junk

One of our favourite companies operating around Halong Bay, Indochina Junk provide a boutique boat experience. Their diverse fleet of junks include four romantic Princess boats with just one cabin for honeymooners or those seeking seclusion. The Prince line of boats offers slightly more space for family or close friends with a mix of two to four cabins. The original Indochina Junk boats were the Lagoon Explorers and these were the first craft to explore the bay with real sails. These four-cabin boats are still pushing the boundaries of exploration around Bai Tu Long Bay with a strong wind behind them and have four cabins. Finishing off the fleet are the Dragon boats. The five-cabin Red Dragon boats are ideal for a small group of 8-10 people, while the larger Dragon’s Pearl boats offer 11 cabins and can be chartered for larger groups. Many of the Indochina Junk itineraries are 3-day, 2-night adventures which allows guests to see that much more of the bay. Indochina Junk also come highly recommended thanks to their environmentally-friendly credentials and their affordable tariffs.

Indochina Sails

One of the longest running luxury operators on Halong Bay, the Indochina Sails fleet now comprises of six boats with overnight cabins. The original fleet of Indochina Sails I, II and III, all with 14 or 15 cabins, have now been supplemented by the smaller Valentine boats and more luxurious Indochina Premium. The original Valentine has just five cabins and is an intimate option for small groups or extended families. The newer Valentine Premium has just two cabins so offers exclusivity for two couples or a small family. The newest Indochina Premium is one of the most impressive boats on the water, with spacious cabins, private balconies and bathrooms that are almost the same size as three-star cabins. Our Hanuman team stayed on it as recently as Spring 2012 and it was an extremely comfortable experience. The only negative from the trip was that all the Indochina Sails boats follow each other around the bay in convoy and that means large crowds at every stop along the way.

Indochina Sails

Paradise Cruises

One of the newer cruise companies operating on Halong Bay, Paradise also offers some of the smarter boats currently available. The Luxury range includes four boats with 17 cabins, which work well for high-end groups wishing to explore the bay or for larger MICE groups that need a uniformity of boats and cabin configurations. The Privilege brand of boats are much smaller with just three cabins for a maximum of six guests. These are good option for larger families or small groups of friends or relatives travelling together. The newest Peak boat is an all suite craft and offers possibly the most luxurious option for smaller groups, with a total of eight cabins.

The Hanuman Overview

So how to navigate these complicated waters and choose the right boat for the right client? Our solution is not to recommend any one company but to recommend specific boats if they are available. Here are some of our main recommendations below: